Chin rest for violins or violas



Nov. 26, 1940.

F. Q. MIRANDA CHIN REST FOR VIOLINS OR VIOLAS Filed Jan. 12, 1939 INVE NTOR F1 Q. Mzran a BY 4 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 26, 1940 PATENT OFFICE CHIN REST FOR VIOLINS OR VIOLAS Francisco Quintana Miranda, Cordoba, Argentina Application January 12, 1939, Serial No. 250,494

13 Claims.

This invention relates to a chin rest for violins or violas which will permit a more ample and clean sonority and facilitate in the emission of sounds of said instruments.

In the present type of chin rest for violins or violas, the chin rest is clamped to the edge of the belly of the instrument adjacent the tail pin thereof by a U shaped clamping member having laterally extending ears to engage foot or flange portions of the chin rest and the back of the instrument, whereby the vibrations of the belly and back of the instrument is greatly impaired by clamping said portions of the instrument to each other.

The principal object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the present type of chin rest by providing a chin rest arranged to rest on the edge of the belly portion of a violin or viola and having a portion adapted to grip said edge at a bout'of the waist of the violin or viola, and means fixed to the chin rest in opposed relation to the gripping portion thereof and adapted to be releasably connected to the tail pin of the violin or viola to maintain the gripping portion in engagement with the edge and the chin rest in chin engaging position on the violin or viola. The edge, bout and tail pin being non-vibratory or dead parts of the violin or viola, a chin rest adapted to only engage and be connected to said parts will not interfere with the normal vibration of the belly and back portions of the violin or viola and impair the tone of said instruments. 7

It is another object of the invention to provide a chin rest which is readily adjustable to permit the use of said chin rest with violins or violas having waists of different dimensions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a chin rest readily secured to or removed from a violin or viola.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a chin rest which may remain in chin engaging position on a violin or viola when said instrument is placed in a carrying case.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chin rest having a chin engaging portion of sufficient length and width to properly support the chin of the player.

Further objects of the invention will be hereinafter set forth in the detail description of the invention.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a view looking at the belly of the waist portion of a violin and showing a chin rest forming the embodiment of this invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is an end view of the violin and chin rest looking at the right of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of the violin and chin 5 rest looking at the bottom of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the chin rest, taken on the line 44 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. 10

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the chin rest, taken on the line 55 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

In carrying out the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the chin rest is adapted to be releasably mounted on the belly a of the tail portion b of a violin or viola 0 having a bead ,d'at the edges of the belly a and the back e of the instrument, said beads being non-vibratory. The instrument is also arranged with the usual bouts I having fillets to strengthen the structure of the instrument, as indicated in dotted lines at g in Figure 1. The base of the waist portion b is arranged with a usual tail pin h anchored to the brace at said part of the waist, as shown in dotted lines at i in Figures 2 and 3, the tail pin being for the purpose of anchoring a string carrying tail piece 7' through means of a flexible loop k fixed at the ends to the tail piece with 80 the loop encircling the pin, as shown in Figure 2. The brace i is another non-vibratory part of the instrument.

The chin rest comprises a chin engaging portion in the form of a plate 6 of concavo-convex 85 shape in cross section having a body portion arranged with an outwardly curved section 1 and the opposite edge section of the body extending in an arc corresponding to the curvature of the waist b adjacent the tail pin 71., as shown at 8 in Figure 1. The edge of the curved section 1 extends upwardly from the center of the concave face of the plate, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, and the arcuate edge 8 is rolled downwardly from the concave face to provide a smooth surface for the engagement of the chin of the player, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5. The edge of the section I and the edge 8 extend toward each other to form a horn portion 9 extending in an arcuate downward direction and of arcuate shape in cross section, as shown in Figure 4. The edge 8 extends in a sinuous direction or path in a vertical plane with a high section Ill adjacent the horn portion 9, as shown in Figure 4. The curved section I, rolled edge section 8 and high section Ill co-operate with each other to provide a natural support for the chin of the player.

To support the plate 6 on a violin or viola without impairing the tonal quality of said instruments, the plate is arranged with a plurality of supports adapted to engage the non-vibratory parts of the instrument, such as beaded edge (1 and a bout 1. One of said supports comprises an arm I I extending from and integral with the convex face of the plate 6 and having a screw threaded recess in the free end thereof, as shown in dotted lines at I2 in Figure 1, for the adjustable and removable mounting of a supporting member comprising a vertical body portion- I3 having at one end a laterally extending projection I4 screw threaded for adjustable and releasable engagement with the screw threads of the arm recess I2. The opposite end of the support body I3 is arranged with a hook portion I5 projecting laterally from said body I3 in an out ward direction from the arm II and having an inner curvature adapted to engage about the bead d of the edge of the belly portion a and at about f of a violin or viola, so that the free end of the hook of portion I5 will engage a portion of the instrument which is dead or non-vibrating for the entire depth thereof due to the fillet g at said bout. The inner faceof the body I3 at the juncture thereof with the hook portion I5 is arranged with a transverse recess, as shown at I6 in Figure 3, for the mounting of an elongated flat member I I having a dependingsection or flange I8 at one end. The member-I1 is-mounted in the recess IS with the flanged end I8 extending laterally a greater distance from the body I3 than the opposite end of said member, so that the flange I8 will abut the vertical section of the bead d on one side of the bout f to position and retain the hook portion I5 in engagement with the bead at the opposite side of the bout, with the opposite end portion of the member I! extending from the bead at saidopposite side of the bout, as shown in Figure 1. The member I! is secured in the recess I6 by any suitable means, such as adhesive applied to the contact surfaces of said member and recess. The member I I may also be an integral part of the body I3, in which case, the recess l6 would be eliminated. The inner surfaces of the hook portion I5, the member I1 and flange I8 and the exterior surface of the extreme end of hook portion I5 are covered with a layer of cushioning and insulatingmaterial, such as leather or fabric, as shown at I9 in Figure 3, to prevent marring of the violin or viola, avoid strange vibrations and preventfslipping of the support I3 from its predetermined position at the bout of the violin or viola.

Another of the supports for the chin engaging plate 6 comprises an arm 20'of lesslength than the arm II, integral with the convex face of the plate 6 and extending therefrom at an acute angle to the arm II to position the free end of saidarm 20 above a portion of the beadd intermediate .the bout engaged by the hook portion I5 and the tail pin h. The arm 20 tapers from the outwardly curved section I of the plate 6 to a portion thereof intermediate the plate and the free end of the arm where the diameter of the arm is uniform for the sliding engagement of a supportingmember adapted to rest on the upper surface of the bead d, The supporting member of the arm 2d comprises a spherical portion 2! having an opening therethrough of uniform diameter slightly greater than the uniform diam- 'eter of the free end of the arm 20 to permit sliding mounting of the supporting member on the arm and the tapering portion of the arm securely positioning a horizontal plate portion 22 of the supporting member in engagement with the bead d. The spherical portion 2I and plate portion 22 are connected by a vertical post portion 23 of a length to properly position the chin engaging plate in spaced relation to the belly of the violin or viola when the spherical portion ZI is mounted on the arm 20 in abutting relation to the tapered portion of the arm. To reduce the area of contact between the plate portion 22 and the bead 11 without interfering with the proper support for the arm 20, the under or contacting face of the plate portion 22 is arranged with a central transverse groove 24 to provide the plate portion with leg sections 25 at the opposite ends arranged with a cushioning covering, as at 26, for'the same purpose as the covering I9 of the supporting member I3. Due to the angle at which the arm 20 extends over the bead d, the plate portion 22 extends obliquely to the axis of the opening in the spherical portion 2|, so that the leg sections 25 will centrally engage the bead d, as shown in Figure 1. The supporting member 2|, 2,2, 23 may be retained on arm 20 by a releasable pin 2| engaged in the arm 20 withthe ends of the pin projecting from said arm to abut the spherical portion 2I after the supporting member is mounted on the arm.

. The supporting members I3 and 2I will support the outwardly curved section 1 of the chin en-' gaging plate 6, and the arcuate rolled edge 8 and horn portion 9 are supported from the violin or viola by a vertical leg portion 21 integral with and extendingfrom the convex face of the plate 6 in vertical alinement with'the'high section III of the rolled edge 8 thereof, as shown inFigures 2 and 4. The leg portion 21 is of greater thickness than the width of the rolled edge 8 to cen- .trally engage the upper surface of the bead d, I

straight section 28 at the foot and an inwardly extending arcuate section 29 merging outwardly with the under surface of the outer edge of the horn portion, whereby an arch is formed by the leg portion 21 and horn portion 9, into which arch the end of the tail piece 7' extends, as shown at 30 in Figure 2. The straight edge section 28 is for the purpose of properly positioning the chin rest on the violin or viola by abutting said section against the adjacent leg portion of the loop is.

The arms II and 20 are proportioned so that at the hook portion I5 will engage about the bead d adjacent the bout J, the flat member I! will textend from the bead with the flange I8 abutting the bead at one side of the bout, and the leg sections 25 will rest on the bead, when the edge section 28 of the leg portion 21 abuts the loop is, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The arch 30 is arranged to be positioned out of contact with the tail piece 7, as shown in Figure 2, so that the chin rest will not interfere with the movement of the tail piece and will not impart said movement of the tail piece to the instrument. The under face of the foot of the leg portion 21 is arranged with a cushioning surface 3|, which is similar to the cushioning surfaces I9 and 26, having an arcuate "bead d of the belly of the violin or viola for protecting said instrument against abrasion by the loop It, said cushioning surface preventing marring of the instrument and slipping of the chin rest from its predetermined position.

The arms ll, 20 and leg 21 may be separate parts and be secured to the plate 6 by suitable means, such as screws or adhesive. The plate 6, the arms I I, 20 and leg 21 may be of wood, metal or other suitable material.

The hook portion I5 is maintained in engagement with the bead d adjacent the bout J; the flat member ll, flange l8, plate portion 22 and leg portion 21 are retained in engagement with the bead; and the straight edge section 28 of the leg portion is maintained in abutment with the loop k, by releasable and adjustable fastening means in the form of a flexible member 32, such as a fabric or gut cord, formed into a loop with the loop portion passed through an opening 33 in the rolled edge 8 adjacent to the leg portion 21 from the exterior to the interior of said edge, then the end portions of the loop are extended under the edge and into the loop, and then the loop is drawn taut to secure the loop end of the cord to the chin rest. The free ends of the cord are engaged around the tail pin between the instrument and loop k and secured to said pin with the cord taut by tying the free ends of the cord in any suitable knot, such as a slip knot, as shown. The tension applied to the rolled edge portion 8 of the chin rest by the cord 32 will retain each supporting part 13, 22, 21 in its corresponding supporting position on the instrument. To remove the chin rest from the violin or viola, the cord 32 is simply released from the tail pin h by untying the knot of said cord at the tail pin. In a violin or viola of good construction, a perfect fit of the chin rest should be such that, after being secured to the instrument, it will permit hook portion I5 to engage the bead d at the further or waist side of the bout f. This can be accomplished by screwing the screw threaded projection M into or out of the screw threaded recess l2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1, In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate having a chin engaging surface and supports adapted to engage the edge of the belly of a violin at one side of the tail piece of the violin, one of said supports being adapted to grip the edge at the waist side of a bout of the violin, and a flexible member fixed to the plate and adapted to be secured to the tail pin of the violin to retain the supports on the violin.

2. In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate having a chin engaging face, a vertical leg portion extending from the opposite face of the plate to engage the edge of the belly of a violin adjacent the tail piece of the violin, arms extending laterally from the plate in diverging directions, supporting members mounted on the arms to engage the edge of the belly of the violin at points remote from the tail piece of the violin, one of said supporting members being arranged with a hook portion to engage about the edge of the belly of the violin, and a flexible member fixed to the plate adjacent the vertical leg portion and adapted to be releasably secured to the tail pin of the violin to apply force to retain the vertical leg portion and supporting members on the violin and maintain the hook portion in engagement with the edge.

3. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 2, wherein the arm carrying the supporting member arranged with the hook portion extends in a plane intercepting the plane in which the vertical leg portion extends, and the hook portion engages the edge at the waist side of a bout of the violin.

4. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 2, wherein the arms diverge from each other at an acute angle to position one of the supporting members at a bout of the violin and the other supporting member intermediate said bout and tail pin of the violin.

5. In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate having a chin engaging face, a vertical leg portion extending from the opposite face of the plate to engage the edge of the belly of a violin, arms extending laterally from the plate, one of said arms having a recess in the free end and the otherarm being plain, a supporting member having a vertical portion arranged at one endwith a lateral projection adapted to be releasably and adjustably engaged in the recess of the arm, a hook shaped portion extending from the opposite end of the vertical portion to engage about the edge of the belly of the violin and a horizontal portion extending intermediate the vertical portion and hook shaped portion to rest on the edge of the belly, a second supporting member having a vertical portion arranged with an opening at one end corresponding to and adapted to engage the plain arm and a horizontal portion extending obliquely to the axis of the opening to rest on the edge of the belly of the violin, and a. flexible member fixed to the plate adjacent the vertical leg portion and adapted to be secured to the tail pin of the violin to maintain the horizontal and hook shaped portions of the supporting members in engagement with the edge of the belly of the violin.

6. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 5, wherein the recess of the arm and the lateral projection of the first supporting member are arranged with corresponding screw threads to permit releasable mounting and adjustment of said supporting member on the arm and extension of the arm.

'7. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plain arm is tapered from the plate to a portion intermediate the plate and free end of the arm and of uniform diameter from said portion to the free end of the arm, and the opening in the second supporting member is of uniform diameter corresponding to the free end of the arm to permit the releasable mounting of said supporting member on said arm.

8. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 5, wherein the horizontal portion of the first supporting member is arranged with a depending section to engage the vertical portion of the edge of the belly and position the hook shaped portion relative to a bout of the violin.

9. In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate of concave-convex shape in cross section having a rolled edge extending longitudinally in an arcuate path corresponding to the curvature of the tail of a violin and extending in a sinuous path in a vertical plane, supports arranged and secured around the marginal portion of the plate to engage spaced portions of the edge of the belly of the violin remote from the tail of the violin and support the plate in spaced relation to the belly of the violin with the rolled edge in vertical alinement with the base portion of the tail of the violin, and means secured to the plate and adapted to be releasably connected to the ports toward the violin and retain the platein position on the violin.

10. A chin rest for violins as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rolled edge is arranged with a high portion at one end of the plate with the rolled edge extending from said high portion and end of the plate in a downward direction, and one of the supports extends from the convex face of the plate in vertical alinement with the high portion of the rolled edge, said downwardly extending extension of the rolled edge and support forming an arch into which arch the tail piece of the violin extends.

11. In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate of concave-convex shape in cross section having supports extending from the convex face of the plate adapted to engage spaced portions of the edge of the belly of a violin between the tail pin and a bout of the violin, one of said supports being arrangedto grip the edge at the waist side of said'bout, and means for connecting the chin rest to the violin fixed to the plate and adapted to be releasably connected to the tail pin whereby a gripping force is applied to the latter gripping support of theplate and the plate is retained on the violin.

12. In a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a plate of concavo-convex shape in cross section tail pin of the violin to apply pressure to the suphaving a vertical support extending from theconvex face at-an edge portion and adjacent one .end of the plate to rest on the edge of the belly of a violin and a pair of arms extending laterally from an opposite edge portion of the plate, supports adjustably mounted on the arms to rest on the edge of the belly of the violin, one of said adjustable supports being arranged with a hook portion to engage about the edge of the belly, and means for connecting the chin rest to the violin fixed to the plate adjacent the vertical support and adapted to be releasably connected to the tail pin'of the violin to maintain the hook portion about the edge and the supports in engagement with the edge to support the plate in spaced relation to the belly of the violin.

13. -In-a chin rest for violins having a tail pin, a chin engaging portion having supports adapted to engage the edge of the belly of a violin, one of said supports being arranged to grip the edge at the waist side of a bout of the violin, and means for connecting the-chin engaging portion and the tail pin of the violin, said means being connected to the-chin engaging portion in opposed relation to the support arranged to grip the edge at the waist side of a bout whereby the connecting means imparts a retaining force to said support.

FRANCISCO QUINTANA MIRANDA. 

